Human
by Konstantya
Summary: The line between human and monster is a fine one. [Vincent, Hojo, and Lucrecia. Strange, dark oneshot.]


A/N: I guess it's drama. Maybe angst? I'm not entirely sure what to file this under, to be honest. Severely inspired by Goldfrapp's song "Human," so maybe this qualifies as a songfic. It set a great mood. Beautiful and creepy. Kind of like hauntingly sultry cabaret, but with a skewed industrial edge that tells you something isn't quite right.

EDIT (11-12-08): I finally got around to reformatting this, so it looks better, and closer to the way it was originally posted, before multiple dashes were disallowed. (Now. Just have to get around to the others, ehehe.) I also tweaked it a smidge; a rewording of one line, and a slight change at the end, with the placement of the lyrics. But I'd honestly be surprised if anyone really notices, they're so minor.

Obligatory CYA: I don't own Final Fantasy VII (nor Goldfrapp's "Human").

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**Human**

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_Are you human…_

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_Why are you so opposed to it?_

_Because it's a child._

_Mr. Valentine, you're a Turk._

_What does that have to do with it?_

_You're lecturing about morality?_

_I don't go conducting experiments on children._

_But you have no qualms with shooting one?_

_That's different._

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_…__or did you make it up? _

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Things Lucrecia Crescent knows about Vincent Valentine:

He is considered one of Shin-Ra's best Turks. He is extremely good at his job, not so much because of his proficiency with firearms or hand-to-hand combat skills (though those are top-notch), but because he has the character and attitude that compliments the career. He has an anti-social personality, and he hangs morals in his closet like other people hang clothes: Each morning he decides which ones would best suit him for the day.

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_Secret Number One: _

Dr. Crescent doesn't believe in love, and she never saw much of a point to romantic relationships.

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Her mother taught her to use the resources available to her, and being a woman in a male-dominated field, Lucrecia keeps the advice close to her. When the Turk, Valentine, begins showing something akin to romantic interest, she doesn't exactly encourage it, but she doesn't exactly reject his advances, either. One never knows when such an association could come in handy, and if she can stay on his good side with ambiguous appearances of friendship, so much the better.

Lucrecia reasons that Vincent doesn't really love her, anyway. What he calls love is some twisted, obsessive excuse for it.

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_Secret Number Two: _

Dr. Crescent's diagnosis of Vincent Valentine's affections toward her is accurate.

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Two days after she smiled at him and agreed to go out for coffee in town, Vincent finds himself aiming his gun at Lucrecia's head after watching her kiss Hojo. He lowers his gun, grinds his teeth, cools his heels, and admits to himself that what he feels simply can't be the pure, selfless love the happy-ended fairytales and flickering movies in his past have shown him.

Well, be it called love, resentment, or obsession, it doesn't matter much to Vincent. Though Lucrecia loves her facts and logical conclusions, words are just letters strung together, and emotions are fickle things as hard to pin down as a fog in a dark room.

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A relationship with a brilliant scientist is more advantageous to Lucrecia's career than a relationship with a Turk, so when Hojo began expressing interest in more than just the work she does, she played along.

When he pledges his love and asks her to be his wife, it's the thought of being married to one of the world's top scientists that makes her eyes shine. She thinks of all the funding that will be available to them and all the research she'll be able to do, reflects his smile back with none of the original intentions his had, and says yes.

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_Secret Number Three: _

Dr. Hojo doesn't believe in love, either.

If actors are simply people who take deceit to a professional level and call it art, then Hojo could have enjoyed quite a success as an actor, had a career in science not worked out for him.

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Vincent considers killing Hojo. With her dear scientist out of the way, Lucrecia might come running to him. Vincent takes aim at his head like he previously did with Lucrecia, narrows his eyes, then reluctantly lowers his hands yet again. Without taking his eyes from the doctor, Vincent grudgingly replaces the safety on his gun, and sneers. Though bodyguard duty is excessively boring and monotonous, it wouldn't do to kill the very people he's supposed to be protecting. The paperwork would be horrendous.

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Hojo resents Valentine not so much because he's a romantic threat to his wife, but because his title of "Turk" gives him free run of immoral behavior. "Turk" never carries the positive connotation that "scientist" can, and while Valentine can get a raise for a torture and assassination done well, Hojo has to put up a façade of good intentions for the betterment of mankind, at least for the public eye, when his work runs the risk of crossing over into unethical. But, then again, scientific advancement and achievement never claimed to be easy.

Hojo knows Valentine cares about Lucrecia, and knows the Turk opposes the project. Hojo concludes that this opposition must stem from Valentine's so-called affections, because the idea that a Turk would have a moral leg to stand on is a theory of laughable proportions.

Practical application is unfortunately different from theory, and Hojo often wishes Valentine would stop being so unpredictably finicky with his ethics and would just initiate an affair with Lucrecia already. More than a romantic threat, the Turk presents a threat to the progress of his work, and the guise of a cuckolded husband would give Hojo a good excuse to get him out of the way.

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Vincent Valentine holds that there's a difference between genetically experimenting on a child and killing one. One is playing God. The other is just bumping up an inevitable appointment.

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_You think he really loves you? _

_Do you think you really love me? _

_What? That isn't what this is about. _

_Yes, it is. _

_I mean he's just using you._

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Things Lucrecia Crescent does not know about Vincent Valentine:

Vincent excelled in science, as well. He had a great love of chemistry and medicine, and seriously considered studying for a career in the fields. The reason he became a Turk instead of a scientist is because he hates those who lie to themselves. He will fully admit to having anti-social tendencies and an inclination toward amorality. He would rather shoot people than poke needles into their arms because loaded guns can't lie through their teeth under the smiling pretense of medicinal purposes.

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_You__'__re not human__…_

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Even if Hojo doesn't actually love her and is only using her, it doesn't matter much to Lucrecia.

After all, she's doing the same thing.

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_…__too._

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A/N: So, eh, just an experimental thing I had to get out. I just love the psychological possibilities with these guys, hehehe. And it was fun making Lucrecia a manipulative badass, too.

Reviews: entirely optional, but lovely nonetheless. Thanks for your time!


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